Page Turners: Bethel resident's first novel travels back in time

Published 5:26 pm, Friday, October 15, 2010

"The Good Thief" is the first novel published by Bethel resident Barry Connolly. The cover art is by Joseph Farris.

"The Good Thief" is the first novel published by Bethel resident Barry Connolly. The cover art is by Joseph Farris.

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Page Turners: Bethel resident's first novel travels back in time

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Barry Connolly's first novel has the makings of a movie in it. The main character's pursuit of happiness followed by his quest for revenge, the politics and machinations of the rulers, the struggles with love, honor and justice that various characters have -- all can be understood by denizens of the 21st century.

But the action takes place a couple thousand years ago.

Christians are familiar with the story of the two thieves crucified alongside Jesus, one of whom extracts the promise of paradise from Jesus before they both expire. The story of how the thieves came to be on Calvary with Jesus is a mystery.

"The Good Thief" is Connolly's take on the story of Dismas, the man to whom Jesus promised salvation.

The book is set in the weeks leading up to Christ's crucifixion. The story follows Dismas as his world is thrown into turmoil when family members are killed by a Roman tribune investigating a politically sensitive crime. The cast of characters includes artisans, farmers, military men, politicians, prostitutes, Romans and Jews.

As the topic for one's first novel, this story may seem like an unusual choice. But as many members of book clubs know, "The Red Tent," by Anita Diamant, was a very

More Information

"The Good Thief," by Barry Connolly, can be ordered online from Amazon or Barnes & Noble's website.
It is also available for download to Kindle e-readers.

successful work of historical fiction highlighting

the story of Dinah from the Book of Genesis. It was also Diamant's first novel, following several nonfictional books.

I spoke to Connolly recently about how he came to write "The Good Thief."

"I had taken some Bible study classes at St. Mary Church," the Bethel resident said. "His story struck me as compelling. He was the first person Jesus promised salvation to and not much is known about him. It seemed like a good opportunity to do a back story on who he might have been."

Connolly felt not just inspired, but also a responsibility to give readers a possible explanation as to how Dismas came to be crucified next to Jesus.

"It sounds corny," he said, "but I felt strongly moved to make him less of a hardened criminal and more of a person struggling with pride and vengeance, as someone who had to make choices in a difficult situation. I feel God led me to do this, as a calling or ministry."

Delving into day-to-day lives of characters that would've lived in a foreign land 2,000 years ago sounds like quite an undertaking. But Connolly pointed out that researchers and scholars have made a wealth of material available for anyone interested in looking for the information. So much so, he had to work hard to balance the level of detailed descriptions with moving the plot along.

His quest to be as accurate as possible led him to learn about scorpions and grape varieties. His wish to avoid bogging down the story led him to revise his work when his wife pointed out he was getting too detailed in parts.

"I didn't want it to be jarring for anyone who has been there," Connolly said of the story's setting. He had his draft read by people who have traveled in Israel to make sure he got "the look and feel" of the place.

Although material for "The Good Thief" has been well researched, the book falls into the religious fiction category, and familiar figures from the Bible have a place in the book's cast of characters. Readers need not fear finding a dry, scholarly tome about distant people to whom they can't relate. Connolly has put together a dramatic story with characters that come across as real people and a plot that moves.

"The Good Thief" can be ordered online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble's website. It is also available for download to Kindle e-readers.

To have your book club featured in Page Turners, send an e-mail to cmueller@newstimes.com with "Book club" in the subject line. Please include a daytime phone number. Follow Carolyn Mueller at http://twitter.com/CarolynMNT.